Blair, who could barely manage a smile without strength, leaned her head against the wall.

Her body, gradually consumed by the freezing cold, no longer felt the chill. Instead of feeling cold, it seemed like her body was getting warmer. Simultaneously, drowsiness swept over her, and her consciousness became distant.

In that moment when she sensed her impending death in the now eerily serene cold.

“…Herdim.”

Quite miserably, she missed him.

At that moment when she could no longer endure the lingering attachment she barely held onto, the door of the closed cabin opened, and he appeared. Unusually disheveled.

“…Blair.”

Ah…

Why, always, do you appear whenever I feel like I’m about to crumble?

“Blair!”

Herdim approached the unconscious Blair and lifted her in his arms.

Although it was still spring, the fabric of his clothes was not particularly thin, but still, the warmth that one should naturally feel from a person was absent. As if like a corpse.

His heart sank.

“…Blair, you must not fall asleep. Snap out of it.”

However, the eyes that were staring at him just a while ago remained closed and did not move. Ripples formed in his blue pupils as he gazed at her.

Herdim wrapped Blair with his own coat and the coats of his knights, then quickly spoke and carried her out of the forest.
At the entrance of the darkening forest, only Lord Yi Ban, who had heard the news, and the Imperial Knights stationed by him, along with the Danish knights summoned by Herdim, remained.

He gave an order to one of the Danish knights who were waiting.

“First, return to the mansion and have the physician standby. Also, light the fireplace in the bedroom.”

As he boarded the carriage with Blair, the carriage carrying the two departed immediately.

Herdim continued to hold Blair without placing her in the front seat. Even if he had to share his warmth like this, he felt like the woman in his arms would truly die if he didn’t.

That couldn’t happen.

He still needed this woman.

Herdim removed his gloves and brought his hand to Blair’s cold cheek. Despite being buried under so many layers of clothing, her cheek felt colder than his hand.

Even in the heap of clothes.

While checking if Blair was breathing, Herdim reached into the pile of clothes to find her hand. Even in the warmth of the clothes, he could easily locate her cold hand.

He grasped her hand and found something tightly held in her small fist.

Most likely, she had been holding it since before losing consciousness in the cabin.

Herdim cautiously pulled out what she was holding. His pupils shook intensely as he confirmed its identity.

What she had been holding dearly even as she was dying was an old lighter.

‘No way.’

A despairing premonition overwhelmed him.
Slowly pressing the lighter, flames rose.

“……Ha.”

A disappointed laugh escaped from Herdim’s mouth as he observed it.

His wife could have avoided being in this state. If only she had lit this lighter and thus not lost her body temperature.

If that had happened, he could have waited for him to find her, basking in the warm fire, in a healthy state. But…

Because of that trivial trauma, he almost lost you?

Just because of that.

…Because of me.

Herdim clenched the lighter as if he wanted to crush it and gnashed his teeth.

Anger, lost and aimless, drifted through the silent carriage.

⭐⭐⭐

There’s nothing for an aide to do at the hunting competition.

Thanks to that, Ruth, who had been lazing around all day at the mansion, rushed to the Duke’s residence upon hearing the shocking news.

Coincidentally, the chief physician, who had just finished the examination, was coming out of Blair’s room.

“Your Grace, I will go in.”

As she entered the room, warmth enveloped her. In the middle of the warm room, Blair was lying on the bed.

The color of her complexion from coughing was incredibly pale, and Ruth’s heart sank as well. Beside her, Herdim was alone, guarding her.

As Ruth hesitated for a moment while looking at him, emotions of fear that made it daunting to approach his blue eyes as he looked at Blair flickered. It was an anger that seemed to swallow even himself.

As Ruth approached him, hesitating for a moment, before asking Moore, Herdim opened his mouth first.
“…Her body temperature had dropped significantly. If we had been a little later, it could have been dangerous.”

“Are you okay now?”

Herdim stared at the sleeping Blair for a moment before responding slowly.

“Probably.”

“You were reported missing. How did you end up like this?”

“It’s not exactly a missing person case; I was kidnapped and managed to escape.”

Ruth’s expression hardened upon hearing Herdim’s story.

“Kidnapped? Who would dare to do such a thing…!”

“Any guesses?”

Instead of immediately providing an answer, Herdim threw a question back.

After a moment of contemplation, Ruth easily deduced the answer.

“Could it be Lord Baldwin’s son?”

“If our thoughts align.”

“That vile creature…!”

Ruth muttered a curse without realizing it, glanced at the sleeping Blair, and coughed lightly.